Brighton Beach man 59, accused of owning hundreds of thousands of child-pornography images, gets R5,000 bail, case postponed to 6 Dec:
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29 August journalist Mbali Mpofu: "A BRIGHTON Beach man (59) was granted R5,000 bail by the Durban Magistrates Court, accused of possessing "hundreds of thousands of images" of child pornography. (*He may not be identified yet because he has not been asked to plead to the charges, for which he was arrested in May). One of the witnesses in the case -- a young man in his 20s -- has lived with the accused since the age of eight. The young man has been seen in some of the images under investigation. And the female whistle-blower, a neighbour who shared the man's internet links and found the pictures in their shared documents folder, has since moved away from her premises, fearing for the safety of her son.
--- The case has been postponed to 6 December, pending the outcome of the forensic report. The accused has not been asked to plead as yet, which is why he may not be identified yet.
The man was arrested by Brighton Beach SAP on Monday, 27 May following information received from a female neighbour with whom he shared a wireless internet connection.
-- According to the police, the neighbour was perusing through the shared documents folder when she came across the pornographic images. She took screen shots and presented them to the police, which subsequently led to his arrest. The man's computer equipment was seized, pending further investigation. Police believe the total number of images stored on his computer runs into hundreds of thousands.
--- The man, who has been in custody for three months, was originally denied bail by the state. An incomplete forensic report has led to the state altering its stance on the bail application. Outstanding forensic evidence will take some two months to finalise.
--- After the court heard affidavits from the accused and his brother, bail was granted at R5,000 on the condition that he does not contact state witnesses; he must report to Brighton Beach SAP once a week; and he is required to surrender his travel documents.
One of witnesses, a young man in his 20s, has lived with the accused since the age of eight. The young man has been seen in some of the images under investigation. The whistle-blower has since moved away from her premises, fearing for the safety of her son.
The case has been postponed to 6 December, pending the outcome of the forensic report. The accused has not been asked to plead as yet, which is why he may not be identified yet.
http://www.looklocal.co.za/looklocal/content/en/south-durban/south-durban-news-general?oid=7748024&sn=Detail&pid=1171615&Child-porn-accused-gets-bail-----------
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